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ShareBangalore: "Midwifery should ideally be included in the National Rural Health Mission,"said Darshan Shankar, advisor, Planning Commission. He was speaking at the two-day International Traditional Healers Conference on Thursday. "While complicate cases should be treated in a hospital, midwives can continue assisting normal deliveries," he added.
Till two centuries ago, midwives assisted almost all the deliveries in our nation. However, now it has become a distant tradition. It was discouraged by successive governments in the country."The good thingabout the midwives is that the patient can get treated in the comfort of her home," he said.
More than 200 participants consisting of healers, academics, researchers, NGOs and policy-makers from 18 countries in Africa, South and North Americas, Australia, Asia and Europe, are taking part in the conference. "We also treat patients with complicated diseases, but our treatment method is a bit different. We make use of herbs and spices available in the locality. Traditional medicine also includes massages and spirituality," said one participant.
This is the first time an international conference is held to discuss traditional healing, he added.
The medical education minister Ramachandra Gowda called the traditional healers 'distilled doctors'. "Allopathy has become the greatest hindrance to the growth of traditional healing. It has become a business rather a social service today," he said.
Although there are around two to three million traditional healers across the world, they face many difficulties inpropagating their wisdom, said Shankar.
"It is a challenge for them to retain their identity. Their method of healing is not supported by any government or non-government agency.Another challenge is revitalising the education system. In traditional healing, knowledge is passed on from generation to generation orally. I think this system should not be regulated by any university or institution. The biggest challengelies in providing evidence of efficacy of local health traditions and practices, without interfering into its holistic nature," he said.
"The need of the hour is an action policy on the parts of both central government and World Health Organisation. Traditional healers need to be recognised as community doctors or Grama Vaidyas," he added.
